Alex Pettyfer has been cast as the lead in Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper pic, Magic Mike.

Pettyfer, who is coming off a starring role in I Am Number Four, will play a young stripper — a character based on the experiences of Channing Tatum, who stripped before his career as an actor launched. The comedy is slated to begin production in August in Los Angeles.

Tatum, 31, has said that he stripped for nearly a year when he was 18 to make ends meet. The actor, who is also producing, will appear as the titular character — a mentor to the dancer played by 21-year-old Pettyfer.

Pettyfer, who also appeared in this year’s Beastly, is represented by WME and Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman Newman Warren & Richman. Tatum is with UTA, Management 360 and Stone Meyer Genow Smelkinson and Binder.

Also producing are Nick Wechsler, Gregory Jacobs and Reid Carolin, who is writing the script.